Council reviews another rezone

At this week’s workshop meeting, Arlington City Council was scheduled to review another rezone request. The Riar family rezone, requested by Supinder Gill, seeks a change from residential low and moderate density to high density residential north of 172nd Street NE, in the 7000 and 7100 block, east of 67th Avenue, The Planning Commission is recommending against the rezone after public input that started on April 18 and was continued to June 20 for additional review.

Meanwhile two changes to the comp plan, land-use map and zoning map will be finalized by ordinances being reviewed this week: one approves a rezone for the Villas at Arlington, north of the Stillaguamish Senior Center on Smokey Point Boulevard and the other denies a Stewart Rezone on Highland Drive.

Other council discussion

nAfter City Council repealed the city’s traffic violations bureau on April 3, the police department discovered a “glitch.” After the April 3 decision, parking violations have been sent to the Marysville Municipal Court for processing, which costs about $47 per infraction. Parking infractions are $50, which means the city collects about $3. Staff is proposing that the fines should be paid through Arlington’s finance department, “at significant savings to the city and to the violator.”

nCouncil is also being asked to reconsider a decision made in January 2015, to adopt the International Plumbing Code (IPC). In April, this year the city received a letter from an attorney representing the Washington State Association of United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, requesting that Arlington should adopt the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) instead. According to documents from the planning department, there are many similarities, but the UPC is the code adopted by the State Building Codes Council.

Fire Chief Bruce Stedman is requesting $20,430 in a change order on an EMS equipment replacement. Originally $140,000 was budgeted in the equipment replacement fund and the bid on the base unit was $152,000 plus $8,430.42 in one change order. The additional change order would pay for several items that “would enhance and extend the life of the unit,” Stedman said in documents.

Also at this week’s workshop meeting, Jeff Ketchel, Interim Administrator, was scheduled to provide an update on the Snohomish Health District.